The Australian Federal Police have announced charges against three men in connection to the alleged forced marriage of two teenage children in Perth. AFP confirms this is the first time it has laid charges in Western Australia for this crime.

Two of the men are related to the boy while one is related to the girl. The men are expected to face Perth Magistrates Court today. The maximum penalty for the offence is nine years’ imprisonment.

Police allege that the teenagers wanted to date each other, but the relatives told them they would have to be married for cultural reasons. One child was between the ages of 13 and 15. The other was 17.

It is alleged that the men facilitated the marriage in a religious ceremony in 2023.